Comparison

Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer vs Harp Real

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer

This app simulates the sound and playing experience of a Dusty Strings hammered dulcimer on your iPhone or iPad. Play on-screen or control it via MIDI with a keyboard or other apps, offering a full chromatic range.

Highlights
  • Authentic hammered dulcimer sound
  • On-screen playing interface
  • MIDI input support
  • Full chromatic range (G2-E6)
  • Adjustable hammer types (hard/soft)
  • Drag roll effect with sensitivity settings
  • Note name display toggle
Features
Read full description

Experience playing the full, lush tones of a Dusty Strings hammered dulcimer right on your iPhone or iPad. Play on-screen or via MIDI from other apps or a MIDI keyboard. The app provides the treble and bass bridges of the flagship D550 model for playing on screen and the full 3.75 octave chromatic range of the real instrument from G2 to E6 when played via MIDI. The app has a 16/15 configuration with 16 string courses on the treble bridge and 15 courses on the bass bridge. The D550 is one of the popular Chromatic Series models made by Dusty Strings, builders of hammered dulcimers in Seattle, WA since 1979. To play, just touch the strings next to the black and white bridge markers. The Treble bridge (in the middle) has playable notes on either side, which are a fifth interval apart. The Bass bridge (on the right) can be played to the left of the markers. Toggle between a bright, clear ringing tone using hard hammers and a gentler, more piano tone using soft hammers by touching the image of the hammer in the upper left corner. To get repeated note "drag roll" effects, drag quickly horizontally across the strings. The drag roll sensitivity can be set on the settings screen. The higher the sensitivity, the shorter distance you need to move your finger to get the effect. Touch the "ABC" button to toggle the note name display on/off. Touch the mixer icon to show the controls screen where you can adjust the balance and pan for the bass and treble bridges, enable or disable the drag rolls, as well as set the sensitivity for how far you need to drag to get the roll effect. On the iPad version, the "Hammer Touches" setting chooses between no visible touches, visible touches, and visible touches + note label highlighting. On the controls screen for the iPad version, you may use the "Soft Hammer Filter" control to choose between equalization of the soft hammer sounds for best sound through the iPad speaker or through headphones. The "iPad" setting optimizes the soft hammer equalization for playback through the iPad speaker. The "Headphones" setting optimizes the soft hammer sound equalization for headphones or for use when connected to an amplifier through the headphone jack. The "Headphones" setting allows the full fidelity of the lowest sound to pass through for best quality. iPhone devices default to the "Headphones" setting. From the controls screen you can also visit the Dusty Strings website to learn more about their amazing hand-crafted instruments. Touch the "Shhh" icon to quiet all the strings. Instructions for use as a CoreMIDI Sound Module: The app may be used as a MIDI sound module for use with CoreMIDI-enabled MIDI file player apps or controlled from an external MIDI keyboard using a hardware MIDI interface. When played via MIDI the app has the full 3.75 octave chromatic range of the real D550 from G2 to E6. Select the MIDI channel on the controls page. When used via MIDI, the app responds to MIDI note-on (with velocity), note-off, and volume change messages on the selected MIDI channel. The right treble bridge volume and panning is used for all MIDI sounds and will respond to MIDI volume messages. To use with a MIDI file player app, such as “Sweet MIDI Player”, first launch the Dusty Strings 16/15” app, then your MIDI file player app. In MIDI file player settings you will find this app listed as “Dusty Strings 16/15” in their list of available CoreMIDI sound modules. On the controls screen, be sure to set the MIDI channel of this app to match the output MIDI channel of the MIDI player track you wish to play. iPad users - For the full D550 instrument playable on-screen, including the "SuperBass" bridge, please check out my standard "Dusty Strings" iPad app on the iPad App Store.

About

Harp Real

This app simulates a 27-string lever harp, offering a realistic playing experience with a wide frequency range. Practice songs with adjustable speed and transposition, or play in real-time. Record and share your music.

Highlights
  • 27-string lever harp simulation
  • Frequency range C3 to A6#
  • Offline and online song practice
  • Adjustable song speed and transposition
  • Reverb effect
  • Normal and RealTime play modes
  • Autoplay option
  • Record, playback, and share functionality
Features
Read full description

The Harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps have been known since antiquity in Asia, Africa and Europe, dating back at least as early as 3500 BC. The instrument had great popularity in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, where it evolved into a wide range of variants with new technologies, and was disseminated to Europe's colonies, finding particular popularity in Latin America. Although some ancient members of the harp family died out in the Near East and South Asia, descendants of early harps are still played in Myanmar and parts of Africa, and other defunct variants in Europe and Asia have been utilized by musicians in the modern era. Harps vary globally in many ways. In terms of size, many smaller harps can be played on the lap, whereas larger harps are quite heavy and rest on the floor. Different harps may use strings of catgut, nylon, metal, or some combination. While all harps have a neck, resonator, and strings, frame harps have a pillar at their long end to support the strings, while open harps, such as arch harps and bow harps, do not. Modern harps also vary in techniques used to extend the range and chromaticism (e.g., adding sharps and flats) of the strings, such as adjusting a string's note mid-performance with levers or pedals which modify the pitch. The pedal harp is a standard instrument in the orchestra of the Romantic music era (ca. 1800–1910) and the contemporary music era. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harp) The Harp Real is Lever Harp (Celtic Harp) 27 strings simulation app with lever feature. Frequency range: C3 -> A6#. More offline and online songs for practice (With the ability to change speed, transpose, reverb). Play with 2 modes: - Normal - RealTime You can choose autoplay for listening songs. Record feature: record, play back and share to your friends. ** Songs is updated regularly

Screenshots

Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer4 screens
Harp Real4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Harp Real at Free against Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer's $4.99. Harp Real also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.1) and review sentiment (68% vs 40%). Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 12.0). On in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Harp Real is free to download; Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Harp Real holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Harp Real has 649 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer's written reviews are positive against 68% of Harp Real's.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer versus Harp Real: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDusty Strings 16/15 DulcimerHarp Real
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (7 ratings)4.7 (649 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews67.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7649 — better
Update frequency—Every 15 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size168 MB97 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael EskinSon Truong Ngoc

Customer experience

Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%

Harp Real

All ratings635 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral4.4%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive67.9%
Neutral7.1%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Harp Real

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • No sound output for some users
  • Volume control not easily accessible
  • Incorrect pitches in some instances
  • App not functioning properly on some devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Background play functionality
  • Transpose button
  • Second hand notes for all songs
  • Better documentation/tutorial

In-app purchases

None

Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer

No in-app purchases

None

Harp Real

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer free?
Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Harp Real free?
Harp Real is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer or Harp Real?
Harp Real is rated higher. Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer averages 4.1 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Harp Real averages 4.7 from 649 ratings.
Do Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer or Harp Real have ads?
Harp Real shows ads; Dusty Strings 16/15 Dulcimer does not.

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